


Left Behind

by TorrieGrayson



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Baby, F/M, Fluff, High School, Impala, Photography, Seasons of love, challenge, fall - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-02-05 00:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12782823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TorrieGrayson/pseuds/TorrieGrayson
Summary: Dean and Reader attend the same high school, heartbreak ensues.Written for @thing-you-do-with-that-thing 's Seasons of Love - Colors of Fall challenge. My prompt was a gif, which you can viewhere





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters

You sat on the front steps of your high school, tapping your feet as you flipped through the photos on your digital camera. Normally, you liked to take photos of nature and inanimate objects, but you found yourself snapping candid photos of your friends all morning. 

Your father had been a hunter for as long as you could remember and you never stayed anywhere for more than a few months. Currently, you were in Virginia and you had been here for almost the entire school year. You liked to think you weren’t that sentimental and that growing up the way you did would keep you from getting attached to people, but that always failed miserably after a few weeks. All of the kids here were really nice, and you had even gotten yourself a bad-boy boyfriend after a little while. 

A few months ago, you began to think that you hadn’t moved in so long because your father had finally taken pity on you, but you had been wrong. Last night your father told you that you would be moving on the road again soon, and you wanted to remember these people.

The bell rang but you stayed in your spot, switching your digital camera for your old Polaroid and snapping a photo of the Black ’67 Chevy Impala as it pulled up to the front steps. You held the picture in your hand for a moment, watching the image fade in a little before you put it inside the notebook in your bag to finish developing. Out stepped Dean Winchester and his little brother, Sammy.

“Hey, Sammy!” You waved as he ran passed you with a backpack so full you thought it would tip him over.

“Hey, Y/N! Can’t talk, I’m late for class!” he called behind him, opening the front doors.

Just then, Dean wrapped his arms around you and pecked you on the cheek. You turned around in his arms, wrapping yours around his neck and pulling him into a slow kiss. You took your time to remember how his lips felt against yours, how he would always have one hand around your waist and the other at the back of your neck, how after so long he would always smile into the kiss. It hurt to think that what you had with him would be over soon. You parted lips and rested your head on his shoulder—a sneaky way to wipe away your tears without him seeing. After a moment and another deep breath, you pulled away and headed for the Impala, hopping into the passenger seat. “Ready to go?”

Dean stood shocked for a second, trying to hide red that had suddenly rushed to his cheeks. He straightened up and cleared his throat almost comically. You had never kissed him like that before. “What was that for?” He asked through the window, resting his arms on top of the car.

“Nothing,” you smiled up at him. “Let’s go.”

He quirked an eyebrow and walked around to the driver’s side. The engine roared to life and he sped off of the school grounds down the road.

~~~~~~

Dean had parked on the road and the two of you held hands as you walked down a long path to a little bench that had been in the middle of the woods. This was your spot whenever you would skip class together. As you walked down the path, you couldn’t help but notice all of the leaves being blown off the trees, and falling into huge piles of orange and red and yellow on the ground. You took the moment to grab your camera from your bag to snap a quick photo of the bench, framing it in a beautiful fall scene fit for a cheesy Hallmark card.

“Let me see that.” Dean was reaching for your camera. You handed it to him automatically. He’d never shown any interest in taking pictures, but you trusted him with your ‘baby.’ “Don’t move,” suddenly he sounded urgent.

“Did you see something?” you wondered if he spotted an animal or something else.

“You don’t see that? It’s right there. Wow, it’s beautiful.”

You frowned because ‘wow’ and ‘beautiful’ weren’t exactly in Dean’s regular vocabulary and despite looking around, you didn’t see anything of note in front of you. Just as you turned back around to ask him what he saw, he snapped a photo of you, laughing that he had caught you off guard. He took the photo out and waved it to develop.

“You know you aren’t supposed to wave those, right? It’ll get blotchy,” you explained.

“Really?” Dean looked at the photo as the image of you started to appear.

image  
You giggled, “Yep. Can I see it?” you said, stretching your arms toward Dean as he brought the photo over to you. Your hair had been a little messy from the wind, and you were looking off camera at Dean instead of into the lens. “Ugh, I look like a dork.” You handed the picture back to him and he put it in his jacket pocket, smiling.

“I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, Y/N, but you are a dork.”

You glared at him.

“A cute dork,” he added, kissing your forehead.

You waved him off, looking at the bench again. “Hey, sit down. I wanna remember this,” you said suddenly. Dean sat while you found a rock to balance your camera on, pointing it at the bench and turning the knob for the timer. You rushed over to him, sitting on his lap. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you said, “Smile!” Dean tickled you and you tossed your head back, laughing out loud just as the camera flashed and dispensed the photo.

~~~~~~

You lie on the ground with Dean for a little while after that, looking up at the sky and talking about nothing in particular. You fell silent after some time, resting your head on his chest, feeling his warmth against the cool air and listening to his heartbeat. Dean noticed and opted to savor the quiet moment a little longer before he nudged you. “You awake down there?”

“Hm? Yeah. I was just thinking.”

Dean played with your hair absently as he closed his eyes. “What’s on your mind?”

“Do you ever…wish your dad wasn’t a hunter, that he didn’t make you hunt? Like, do you ever get tired of it?”

Dean didn’t need any time to respond. “No. I like hunting.” You frowned, grateful that he couldn’t see it because of how you were laying. 

You breathed a small, disappointed, “oh.” You wrapped your arms tighter around Dean, feeling the tears threaten to come forward again. You took a deep breath. “I wish my dad wasn’t a hunter. I get tired of moving around. I don’t like having to start over all the time and always being the new kid…having to make new friends. We’ve been in Virginia for nearly a year, and I really thought we would stay this time, and I just-“ your voice cracked as you spoke. “I just wanna stay here, with you.”

“You’re leaving.” It wasn’t a question. Dean had been on the other side of this conversation before, having had to explain his sudden departure to friends and girlfriends many times in the past. He’d never been the one staying though. He’d never been the one left behind. He sat up and faced you, placing his hand on your cheek and prompting you to look at him.

“My dad caught wind of a case in Kansas. He said we’d been here for so long it was about time we got moving anyway…” you trailed off.

“When?”

You looked away, suddenly unable to face him. “Tomorrow,” you whispered.

“Y/N,” Dean didn’t get to finish whatever he was going to say because you practically tackled him, sobbing into his shoulder. He held you there, rubbing soothing circles down your back until you calmed down. You would never know it, but he’d shed a few tears himself that day.


	2. Star-crossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months after Left Behind, Reader catches up with Dean in Texas for New Years

You moved from Virginia to Kansas with your Dad right before your 18th birthday and well into your senior year. The sudden move had been because your dad was a hunter and he’d caught wind of a case. Nearly two months later, you found yourself in Texas, alone.

You stood outside the hotel room that the Winchesters were rumored to be staying in. It was ten at night and the Impala wasn’t anywhere in the parking lot. At first, you cursed, but you soon resolved to hope that meant that John wouldn’t be there to ask questions. With a shaky fist, you knocked on the door. There was silence for a moment. Your heart sank immediately as you considered that you might have been given old information on their whereabouts. You turned to leave. As your foot hit the rough concrete of the parking lot, you heard someone call your name.

“Y/N?”

Your head snapped up and you turned to see Dean standing at the door in jeans and a grey Henley. He looked exactly the same as the last time you saw him two months ago, albeit a little more sleepy and quite less heartbroken. You ran the short distance to him and wrapped your arms around his neck. He was warm and he smelled like hotel soap. God, you hadn’t realized how much you’d missed him these couple of months.

Automatically, he wrapped his arms around your waist, savoring the smell of your hair and the familiar feel of you pressed against him.

“What are you doing here?” He still hadn’t let you go. It was comforting to know he missed you too.

You cleared your throat, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. “Well, it’s New Year’s Eve. I thought we could catch a firework show?”

Dean chuckled. “I mean what are you doing here in Texas? How did you know we were here?”

You let go of him, but he reached out, grabbing your hand as you led him away, walking backward from the hotel room. “It’s a long story, kind of, but some of my dad’s hunter buddies told me you guys were here in Texas, so here I am.”

Dean knew that you were leaving out details on purpose, but more than that, he was concerned for you. Your tone didn’t give away anything about how you were and that was the problem. You looked fine, but it really was strange for you to show up in another state all of a sudden, especially when you hadn’t kept in contact after moving.

Dean stopped you. “Y/N. Is everything okay?”

You thought for a moment before meeting his gaze. “No.” You squeezed his hand a little and forced a smile. “But I promise I’ll tell you later.”

Dean studied you for a moment longer, he seemed to be weighing a few decisions in his head. You spoke again. “Right now, I just want to be a teenager on New Year’s Eve and watch a firework show with the boy I like.” You bit your lip. “Is that okay?” you added, looking up at him through your lashes.

Less than an hour later you were laying on a stolen blanket in a large field full of people. Midnight struck nearly 20 minutes ago, but the show was still going, and even though it was cold out, you were content to lie in the grass holding hands with Dean forever.

Eventually, he turned to face you. “Will you tell me what’s going on?”

You stared up at the colorful night sky as you spoke. “My dad’s dead.”

Dean frowned, but he didn’t speak.

“That case we moved for? He found it…well, it found him actually. It was a witch, she-“ You stopped to take a deep breath, your voice was barely a whisper when you spoke again. “We hadn’t been there a whole week before it happened.”

“Lots of his friends offered to take me in, offered to help me find the witch and get my revenge, but I told them I just wanted to finish High School. Now they just call and check on me every once in a while. I’ve been working in the hotel I’m living in to pay for the room.”

You were still looking at the fireworks, but a few tears had slid down your face as you told your story. Dean scooted closer, wiping them away. 

“You could stay with us,” he offered.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“The same reason I’ve turned down everyone else.” Finally, you turned toward him, playing with the necklace from Sam that he’d always worn. “I love you, Dean, but,” you paused, looking for the right words. “You’re a hunter.”

Immediately, you could feel him tense next to you. Your words had shocked and hurt him and you wanted to take that last part back, but it was true and if you stopped talking now, you knew you would never say what you needed to.

“I don’t want anything to do with ‘the family business’. Hunting has cost me both of my parents. It’s cost me all my friends and chances to build meaningful relationships.” You looked up into his green eyes. “It’s costing me you right now.”

“I’m right here, Y/N.” His voice sounded pleading. Maybe showing up here was a bad idea after all.

“Yeah, but for how long, Dean? How long until you pack up head across the country again?”

Dean watched you. Before he could answer, it started pouring down rain.

The two of you ran back to the hotel, abandoning the stolen blanket. He’d asked you to come in and dry off. You were hesitant at first, not wanting to linger, not wanting to give Dean any false hope, but you accepted anyway. A difficult conversation at 1 in the morning was better than traveling with pneumonia.

Dean sat on his bed while you dried off and changed into one of his shirts in the bathroom. A thousand thoughts ran through his head as Dr. Sexy MD played low on the TV.

When you came out, his arms were crossed behind his head and his eyes were closed. Suddenly feeling self-conscious in only his shirt and your underwear, you were thankful he wasn’t watching.

You sat, awkwardly at first, until Dean reached toward you, pulling you down so you could rest your head on his shoulder. 

“I shouldn’t have shown up like this. I’m sorry.” Even though you apologized for being there, you clung to him.

“It’s alright,” he’d said. His voice was soft as he carded his fingers through your hair. “I missed you. I know you won’t be here long, but I’m glad you’re here right now,” he explained.

“Dean-“ you began, but he started talking again.

“I love you too,” he confessed, taking you by surprise. “I just wish things were different, Y/N. I know you want to, but you won’t ask me to leave hunting behind.” He looked away for a moment as if he were ashamed of what he was about to say. “And I know if you did, I’d say ‘no’.”

Your eyes filled with tears as the truth spilled from his lips.

You’re not sure when it happened, but there was a change in the room. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and you were suddenly more thankful that Sam and John weren’t there. Dean moved on the bed so he was over you, his weight resting on his arms by your shoulders, he was so close that you could feel his own heart racing in his chest.

His lips barely brushed yours as he asked for permission. You closed the distance in answer, your lips capturing his in a tender kiss. The two of you spent what felt like eternity discovering yourselves and each other, whispering sweet things to one another as you took this unforgettable plunge together. After, he held you in his arms, both of you feeling tired and sated, until you fell asleep.

* * * * * *

John hadn’t been angry when he walked into the hotel room and saw you and Dean asleep in one of the beds. Instead of blowing up, he’d instructed Sam not to wake either of you. To his own surprise, he’d actually been sort of happy. He’d always thought that you’d brought out the best in Dean. He covered you two with another blanket before settling down on the couch.

You woke up well before sunrise, quietly getting out of the bed and making your way to the bathroom to put on your now dry clothes. When you stepped out, you noticed John on the couch drinking a beer. Your eyes filled with alarm.

You had met John Winchester a few times before, but never under these circumstances. You knew he must have seen you in bed with Dean and though he wasn’t your father, you were still wary about his reaction. You wrung your hands in front of you nervously, not daring to speak.

“It’s alright, kiddo. I’m not mad.” He sighed, “as much as I hate to admit it, you’re both adults.”

You let out the breath you were holding, relief washing over you.

“Your old man know you’re here?” It was a harmless question, but you flinched regardless.

“No, he’s um. He’s dead.”

* * * * * *

You had asked John to take you to a bus station so you could get back to Kansas in time for School on Monday. He’d agreed under the condition that you told him everything on the way, so you did. You told him that your father died a few days after getting to Kansas and that you’d been working and living in a hotel while you tried to finish your senior year. You told him that you celebrated your birthday alone, that you were having a hard time adjusting to it all, so you came to see Dean because you missed him more than anything and he was the closest thing you had to a home now.

John made the offer for you to stay multiple times, he even insisted that whether you hunted or not would be up to you, but you were determined to stick it out, finish school, and get as far away from hunting as you could. Even if that included letting go of Dean. To your surprise, he let you go with only a few wise words for living on your own and the promise to be there for you if you ever called.

Before you boarded the bus, you gave John a tearful hug, thanking him for everything. He’d even agreed to say goodbye to Dean for you. You knew it had been too much to ask with how strained their relationship could be at times, but you were grateful to have his word. He watched you board the bus before getting in the Impala and making the drive back to the hotel.


End file.
